Mediterranean Seawater Tank with Paludarium 10/2021

 It's been a while... During the pandemic not many occasions to head to the seas. But things are going on. I had a short episode of combining a sea water tank with a paludarium. A rock overgrown with mosses and tiny plants on top of a marine tank. This was managed with a fresh water reservoir integrated in the marine tank setup on top of which the rock was set and pieces of rope drove freshwater into the planted rock. So far in theory. In reality salt was "crawling" into the freshwater reservoir and salt water sprays harmed the vegetation on the rock. Still an idea that deserves to be realized some day in a better way, because it combines the two most attractive forms of aquariums in one...

Mediterranean Sea Tank - December 2019 update

This month I had a chance to pick up some stock from the Mediterranean Sea. I want to mention especially the sea cucumber. Some people are still afraid to keep sea cucumbers, but I think this is a perfect inhabitant for seawater tanks. Because they are the vacuum cleaners of the sea. Who doesn't dream of an animal that sucks up all the dirty sand, digests the debris and leaves clean sand behind? Of course the sea cucumber as any other animal produces nitrates and phosphates, but those are consumed by bacteria, anemones, soft corals and plants. I'm happy that I found one just coincidentally in the shallow water by a port. Isn't it cute...?

The Seaweed Infusion

This is an interesting method to introduce spores and micro elements to your tank. Just collect dried seaweed from any beach. Of course traces of other organisms are included, too. Keep it cool and dry. From time to time take a tiny portion, add some water from the tank and keep it in a cool and dark place for a day or two. After that add the "infusion" to your tank. New plants and may be other forms of life will show up.

Anyway, it is a way to add some "biology" to your tank, especially if you're far from the sea and can't add very often natural seawater...

Seawater DIY

May be you too have wondered, whether it's really necessary to buy salt mixtures for saltwater tanks. Some state, they don't make any water changes in years, thus don't mix seawater. Others say you need those products for sure, since the organisms in your aquarium consume minerals and other nutrients and these must be replaced through water changes.

Well, I see their point and can't imagine either, how you could run a saltwater tank without water changes. But I'm a pathetic DIY guy, that's why I did some research about the composition of sea water. After finding the main elements and their percentage in seawater the question was: with which minerals could we get this exact mixture? 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seawater#/media/File:Sea_salt-e-dp_hg.svg

After thorough research about the weight of atoms and molecules I composed this recipe:

267 grams of Sodium chloride (=salt)
16 grams of Calcium chloride
7 grams of Potassium chloride
34 grams of Magnesium sulfate heptahydrate (=Epsom salt)
52 grams of Magnesium chloride hexahydrate

dissolved in 10 liters of warm water. 

That's it. Of course there might be a need of particular macro and  micro nutrients, but this depends on your stocking. Anyway I would advise to add some iodide, e.g. Potassium iodide, this should be done every day, when lights are switched off, since iodide dissolves under light.

I'll post a DIY solution for micro elements soon...

New Mediterranean Sea Biotope

It's been quite a while... This is my new project:

80 litres tank
2 internal filters
3 levels of LED lighting

That's it...

As usual all inhabitants are collected in the Black or Mediterranean Sea. Start up is as a Black Sea biotope. This is because I live in Bulgaria, the Black Sea coast is just 2 hours away. Most species are interesting, hardy and can be adapted to normal salinity. There are a lot of fish in the Black Sea, easy to find and catch...

Thus I started at the end of May, 2019 with this:

Something new I tried is artificial rock made from brick, wrapped with expanding foam and covered with gravel from the sea. The reason is to have a small rock with holes and crevices where all kind of species can settle. And it worked out actually.

Later I raised salinity and collected some stuff from the Mediterranean Sea:

Now it's November and it'll have a break. I had some algae trouble while setting up, although this normally doesn't happen, since I get live sand, live rock and fresh water from the sea. But may be because of the artificial rock and high temperatures during summer we had a hard time. But it looks quite balanced now...

The "Vodka Method": Algae control by adding alcohol to your aquarium

In the first place the 'Vodka Method' is used to control the growth of algae in your aquarium. But the way it works is very fascinating and has some interesting 'side-effects'. To apply this method successfully requires understanding of biological processes in an aquatic biotope.

The idea is that bacteria are competitors of algae, since they consume the same nutrients. But besides nitrates and phosphates bacteria need something else to multiply: carbohydrates. These can be provided in high concentration through alcohol, thus high concentrated alcohol i.e. ethanol. Ethanol is a natural product and quite cheap available in pharmacies.

A dosage that works fine for me is: 100 ml of ethanol with 400 ml of water. From this mixture I add daily in the morning (important!) 10 - 20 ml per 100 l aquarium. This dosage must be achieved gradually, starting from 1 - 2 ml, because the bacteria consuming this alcohol must multiply in a controlled way. This means they establish themselves on surfaces, such as stones, sand, plants, glass, filter material. On this surfaces other forms of life can feed on them or water currents carry them to anemones and coral who highly appreciate this extra food. Even more, filter feeders like sponges, sea squirts, gorgonians, tube worms... feed mainly on infusorians. I had a good multiplication of zooplankton.

                                   

Overdosing would cause bacterial bloom, i.e. bacteria don't multiply on surfaces, but in the water itself. The water gets cloudy. This condition must be avoided, because -  other from algae - bacteria produce co2. A bacterial bloom can consume oxygen to a life threatening degree and is difficult to get under control.

This is also the reason why ethanol must be added in the morning, because in the night co2 levels rise anyway, you would not double this effect by fueling bacterial metabolism through ethanol dosage. During the day co2 can be consumed by plants and could provide even an additional fertilizer - especially in planted aquariums, both salt and fresh water.

All of this may sound very complicated and dangerous, but actually it is quite safe, when applied carefully and with understanding for the biological processes. I am very satisfied with the results, because it was the only way to safe a stone coral from being totally overgrown by algae.

I hope you will achieve good results with this cheap yet natural way of algae control...

First study the biotope, then care for its inhabitants...

Besides the fact that it is a unique experience to collect and catch the species in your aquarium from the wild on your own, it is also a good opportunity to study the needs of the animals and plants you care for. Once you have examined the natural environment it is much easier to understand how do treat them.

It also helps to rebuilt a biotope at home, because you have seen it in real. For me this is much more exciting than to go to a shop and to purchase whatever catches your eye and to put it in your tank...

Of course this must happen in a way respecting and protecting nature. But I think people who collect species and take personally care of them are no harm. Those who do this to sell them for money are the actual danger for nature...

This is a list of species I collected in the wild and care for successfully:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjpAnW2hHvoWADm0kzaLVpKWEQk2Nw_8V